The department of Saône-et-Loire in Southern Burgundy is a wonderful cultural and culinary destination, along with numerous outdoor activities. The area is great for both long stays as well as shorter trips.

The wealth and variety of tourist sites are conducive to holidays that combine different tastes and flavours; for example, the prehistoric site of Solutré, is right near the chateau-studded valley of Val Lamartinien.

The famous scenic route also leads to Cluny, with its medieval abbey, and Chalon-sur-Saône, where photography was invented.

Not far away, near Tournus and Louhans, house boats ply the Seille River in the Bresse area, known for specificities both cultural (as explained at the Ecomuseum in Pierre-de-Bresse), and gastronomic (Bresse poultry enjoys an exclusive regional label).

The Vallée de la Céramique (pottery valley) along the Canal du Centre, links the Romanesque gems of the Charolais-Brionnais area, to the industrial region of Creusot-Montceau, which now boasts a recreational tourist park.

Meanwhile, the edge of the Loire hosts the neighbouring cities of Digoin (a river crossroads), and Bourbon-Lancy (a hot-water spa).

The regional park, Parc Naturel Régional du Morvan, not only has 3,600 kilometres (2,200 miles) of trails, but is flanked by the Gallo-Roman sites of Bibracte and Augustodunum (known today as Autun).

Every route through Saône-et-Loire may be enriched by an encounter with an artisan or a side trip to a garden, park, or a local market with a festive atmosphere…